Columns

With 2018 coming quickly, Lancaster County Republicans are gearing up for another successful year, following a number of historic wins in 2016 – including seating our first Republican auditor and coroner, and seeing Sheriff Barry Faile win by the largest-ever general election margin in a local sheriff’s race.

The recent shootings of unarmed members of Congress on a baseball practice field in Virginia is just the latest, but most serious, of a series of reactions to the election of our president.
The shooter was dispatched by two brave security officers on the scene and will be no cost to the taxpayers while he awaits trial.
This behavior must cease, and we need to face up to the atmosphere that feeds this kind of cowardly action by misfits in our society.

The state’s Judicial Merit Selection Committee screens and nominates judicial candidates. Its members are picked by the House speaker and the Senate president pro tem. State law requires that four of the 10 members be “selected from the general public,” while the other six must be sitting legislators.
That takes us to former Sen. Wes Hayes of Rock Hill. It’s not our intent to denigrate him in any way – for all we know, he may be an ideal JMSC member. But there are two things wrong with his recent appointment.

“For every complex problem, there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong.” – H.L. MenckenThe S.C. legislature seems to live by this. We have some very big and complex problems in this state, and our lawmakers are masters at coming up with clear, simple, wrong answers. Three stories in the news last week are a perfect illustration of this.
Many would argue that the two most basic core functions of our state government are to educate our children and to keep us safe. Figuring out how to pay for these things is the challenge.

I am frustrated after reading Phil Noble’s June 11 column, which criticized President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris “climate” accord.
Based on what he wrote, I suspect that Mr. Noble has not read and does not understand the agreement.
It is not a climate treaty or an environmental treaty. It is an economic treaty. And it would be a disaster for America. The agreement helps the economies of all other nations at the expense of the U.S. economy.
Consider the following:

Editor’s note: Kershaw resident Wilma Faile enthralled us last year with tales of the skunk army in her crawlspace. To our delight, Wilma is back.

A few weeks ago, I got out of bed and my mouth felt funny. I looked into the mirror. I was cotton-mouthed.
My tongue was coated. I used everything – salt water, mouthwash, cleaned with a toothbrush. Next day, I had blisters on it.

A man tried to kill Republican lawmakers practicing for a charity baseball game, but thanks to the quick action of Capitol Hill police, a slaughter was averted.
It appears that the shooter asked who was practicing, Democrats or Republicans, and when he was told Republicans, he began his rampage.
Before I say more, let me state that I do not blame a particular party for this event. But I do think there are some behaviors that are indirectly and partially at fault.

The Paris Accord and the threat of climate change were pushed from the headlines last week by James Comey and the soap opera that provided no bubbles, but I feel we need to take an analytical look at the accord and why President Trump decided to take us out of the mix.
Here’s what the president said during his June 1 announcement: “We’re getting out, but we will start to negotiate, and we will see if we can make a deal that’s fair.”

On June 20, the citizens of South Carolina¹s 5th Congressional District have an opportunity to send a message to the country.
Are the people of this district content to sit silently by and watch a president embarrass himself and the nation, undermine our most important alliances, level unsupported charges against a former president, make baseless claims of voter fraud, and continually tell lies to the press and the public?

On Saturday morning, June 3, the newspaper landed with its usual thud on my front porch. As I bent over to pick it up, I saw the headline, “McMaster backs Trump’s exit from climate accord.”
Instantly, I remembered the words from a radio interview the day before with English businessman Richard Branson (Virgin Airlines and Records et. al) about President Donald Trump’s action. He said, “When the leaders won’t lead, the people will have to just get on with saving the planet; we have no choice.”